In the workshop, the assembly of Iris's remaining parts went smoothly. Christian methodically checked every detail — each circuit, every link and connection — ensuring everything was ready for when Iris would finally connect to her new body.
The process differed slightly from how he'd built the others before her. But then again, was Iris the same as them?
No, she was different.
How so?
Well, she was an AI first.
Then, what about Zero, Alpha, Beta, or even Shae? Weren't they operated by AI as well?
Yes — except for Shae, who had long since become something beyond a simple android. The others were, indeed, all AI-driven. At their core, their identities were defined by their embedded artificial intelligences.
But the key difference lay in where that intelligence resided.
